Fukuyoshi Maya

Co-Founder & Record Curator, KAISHU VINYL

I'm a co-founder of KAISHU VINYL and have spent my life around records — a music otaku since my teens. In 2017 I moved to Tokyo and worked at a long-established record shop, handling everything from new releases to rare pressings, where I learned condition assessment and grading first-hand and fell for Showa-era music on vinyl. I later spent time in Australia, where I ran KAISHU VINYL's local sales and outreach on the ground. Today I work from Tokyo, carrying Japanese music out to the world. Here I share what I know best — Showa and early-Heisei music, along with the music, everyday context, and trends of life in Japan — drawing on everything I've learned along the way.